Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org)
The leading authority on and provider of copyright alternatives. Provides free, legally vetted licenses for authors of open/shared materials; including attribution, "copyleft"-style, and CC0 public domain licenses. Also provides a directory of open, CC-licensed works for use.
The Original TEACH Act Toolkit (http://copyright.uncc.edu/copyright/TEACH)
The Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act extends U.S. copyright law's academic fair use exceptions to "transmitted" uses (e.g., online, including Web) by non-profit educational institutions, under specific conditions. This toolkit from UNC Charlotte includes an overview, checklists, FAQs, and other resources for implementation in higher education.
Ten Big Myths about copyright explained (http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html)
While not the most scholarly source, Brad Templeton's very accessible discussion of common copyright misconceptions provides a good starting point for discussion (e.g., a "True or False?" class exercise). Be advised, the list has not been updated since 2008—an eternity in IP law—yet still relevant.
Universal Design & Access
Universal Design.com (http://www.universaldesign.com/about-universal-design.html)
Comprehensive definitions for Universal Design and additional resources for the broad field of UD (not just learning). Includes product reviews, publications, and training. Resources for Software/Web Designers may be most relevant to online education; however the interdisciplinary focus is good for broadening perspective.
CAST: Universal Design for Learning (http://www.cast.org)
The Center for Applied Special Technology, preferably known as CAST, conducts educational R&D to expand learning for all through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The CAST site offers excellent background information on UDL, practical applications, free learning tools (most for teachers, some also for students and parents), and professional development and learning resources.
National Center on Universal Design for Learning (http://www.udlcenter.org)
Supported by CAST, the UDL Center is a clearinghouse for guidelines, implementation, research, community, and resources on UDL. The main focus here are the UDL Guidelines, now in Version 2.0. The guidelines are also translated into multiple languages and supporting resources are provided.
Universal Design for Learning (http://www.foothill.edu/drc/documents/Universal-Design.pdf)
A "fact sheet" provided by the Foothill - De Anza Community College, conveys the core message that "...Universal Design is just good teaching." Although, since not all good teaching is Universal Design, the sheet goes through various instructional models and highlights strengths and weaknesses, elements of Universal Design, and offers additional resources. An excellent "quick start" document for all instructors.
Reference & Training:
Access E-learning (http://www.accesselearning.net)
A 10-module online course out of Georgia Tech that addresses accessibility in online learning. Starts with general concepts then focuses on specific technology challenges, including video, Flash, and interactivity. A helpful reminder that making materials accessible to students with disabilities makes them more usable by all students.
Authentic Assessment Toolbox (http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/index.htm)
A highly-rated online course introducing authentic assessment, its background and implementation. The focus on real-world application of material ("competencies") is considered by many to enhance student learning. Includes topics such as tasks, rubrics, and portfolios.
Interactive Multimedia Development (http://www.edb.utexas.edu/minliu/multimedia/index.html)
Although last updated in 2000, this training module from the University of Texas (Austin) addresses learning theories, as well as practical aspects of incorporating multimedia into learning. The technical information is a dead link (probably just as well, given the age of the site) but the resources are surprisingly relevant. If you pardon the Flash front-end, the underlying information is a good foundation for those wanting to go beyond text in a meaningful way.
Best Practices in Online Teaching (http://cnx.org/content/col10453/latest)
Online course collection for instructors new to online instruction, including blended courses. Authored by Larry Ragan and based on a training session offered for the well-regarded Penn State World Campus.
P2PU School of Open (http://p2pu.org/en/schools/school-of-open)
A joint venture between Peer2Peer University (P2PU) and Creative Commons, provides a range of self-paced and cohort ("facilitated") courses on Open Source, OER, and Open Access. Topics include copyright, Creative Commons, contributing to wikimedia, and using Open Data.
Tools & Materials:
20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have (Turner, Digital Learning Environments)
A partial, semi-annotated bibliography of tools for educators. Ranges from Google tools to spreadsheets. Unfortunately, nearly three-fourths of the list is unaddressed, leaving educators to discover virtual worlds without guidance. Still, it provides "Google-fodder" for enterprising educators.
Calibrated Peer Review (http://cpr.molsci.ucla.edu/Home.aspx)
CPR software was developed at UCLA to handle grading essays for large classes. Students write essays on networked (e.g., Web) systems, then, after being trained in reviewing (i.e., calibrated), they grade the essays of three other students, then their own essay. This model is used in Coursera's MOOCs but criticism is rampant on that platform despite the lack of "real" grades. It is unclear whether the language proficiency of the MOOC audience is a factor; although this could be an in-classroom issue, as well. Note: The current CPR software is not free ($500 - $8,000+, depending on institution type and size) nor open.
Edmodo (http://www.edmodo.com)
Edmodo is a popular free, hosted social platform designed for learners. While it does bill itself as a learning management system (LMS) and allow hosted content, apps, badges, and performance tracking; its interactivity and social engagement capabilities that connect the educational community Facebook-style tend to overwhelm the traditional LMS functions. It could still be a useful tool for student engagement (moreso K-12, although the design is becoming quite dated as students themselves are becoming more sophisticated) to complement a curriculum; but its effectiveness will depend entirely on how it is presented and managed. Teachers will need to adapt classroom management to online community management skills.
Free Resources from the Net for Every Learner (http://paulhami.edublogs.org)
Author Paul Hamilton's blog "supporting universal access and universal design for learning." Blog entries highlight various online, computer software, and smartphone/tablet tools that can be applied to universal learning. Although Hamilton has been focusing increasingly on Google's Chrome Browser (a challenge for those not comfortable Google's data/privacy practices), he still posts gems for other platforms.
Great Web 2.0 Resources forStudents (http://www.techlearning.com/default.aspx?tabid=67&entryid=241)
Archived from October 2010, this list has some gems. In addition to Evernote and Dropbox, it includes Scribblar, an online meeting room / white board (free for 2 users, costs rise quickly). If nothing else, it sparks ideas for solutions to discover.
iOS Apps that Support Reading and Writing (http://www.udlresource.com/ios-apps-to-support-reading-and-writing.html)
A couple dozen iOS apps that provide text-to-speech, re-rendering, text conversion, alternate input (e.g., dictation), voice recording, note taking, mind mapping, and even math support. Unfortunately, most apps are not free, ranging from $1 - $2 to approximately $20.
iPads in Education (http://www.scoop.it/t/ipads-in-education)
Curated by John Evans, this blog compiles information related to the use of Apple's popular tablet in educational settings. It includes news, examples, resources, and reviews. While content quality varies, there are some good ideas, even if you do not adopt a solution wholesale.
Leading Innovation 2012: Summer Boot Camp ... Digital Tools (http://leadinginnovation2012.wikispaces.com/Digital+Tools)
The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation's Leading Innovation 2012 Summer Boot Camp for Technology Enabled Initiatives provides an annotated bibliography of online (including some downloadable) tools for educators. The list includes the tools used during their Boot Camp, as well as a broad range of other resources, along with how to apply them in education.
LiveBinders (http://www.livebinders.com)
Envisioned as an online three-ring binder, LiveBinders provides authoring and hosting for collaborative, shared information. A freemium offering, it offers suggestions for uses and tons of sample binders for inspiration. Authoring is relatively straight-forward and the results are "polished-enough" and would be suitable for any internal use or basic e-Portfolios. A useful option outside of the Google-verse.
Moodle (http://www.moodle.org)
Possibly the most popular free and open source learning management system (LMS), Moodle is truly an open source project that enjoys a broad community of developers. This openness allows great customization, it also requires some technical savvy for advanced administration--especially since it is downloaded and run on your own server. For this reason, it is typically adopted at the school or district level; although it could be used in a single classroom by a relatively savvy instructor with networking (firewall) authorization. General content creation and use is relatively easy as LMSs go and the broad feature set makes it applicable to any learning environment. Integration partners are available (http://www.moodle.com) for commercial support.
OpenStax College (http://openstaxcollege.org)
Free, peer reviewed college-level texts. Open licensing allows customization, includes support materials for instructors. Digital versions free, printed versions available at-cost. Limited subjects to start.
QuizStar (http://quizstar.4teachers.org)
A dead-simple web-based quiz authoring and administration tool. It supports true/false, multiple choice (single or multiple correct answers), and short answer formats. It is surprisingly robust, including multimedia abilities, student log-ins across multiple classes/instructors, and gradebooks. I would want to know more about the security associated with the service to ensure it meets the criteria of your institution's policies and regulatory requirements.
Sakai Project (http://www.sakaiproject.org)
A robust, free and open source, online education platform and development community spanning learning management, e-portfolios, and research collaboration. Sakai's Collaborative and Learning Environment (CLE) counts numerous reputable, accredited universities among it 350+ institutional users. (It is unclear whether the 350 figure includes "forked" solutions.) It is Currently developing a completely next generation product, the "widget-based" Open Academic Environment (OAE) that "reimagines the approach to scholarly collaboration." At this time, the OAE appears to be filled with more buzzwords than concrete functionality. As of 2013, the Sakai Foundation and Jasig Foundation merged to form the Apereo Foundation, so look for that name on activities surrounding the Sakai Project.
Schoology (http://www.schoology.com)
A free, full-featured, hosted LMS with social and collaboration features and iOS (iPhone/iPad) support that currently is a few steps ahead of rival Edmodo. Offers clear content presentation (including multimedia integration), submission, assessment creation, discussion, moderation, and even attendance in addition to the traditional Facebook-style social engagement. A cleaner design also makes this more attractive to older and/or savvier audiences. An "enterprise" version is available that adds school/district-wide integration to the basic free teacher version.
WebQuest.org (http://webquest.org)
Born out of Bernie Dodge's work at SDSU, the .org site includes links to free/open counterparts to Dodge's commercialized QuestGarden ($20 for 2 years) WebQuest authoring tool. WebQuests are a "inquiry-orieneted lesson format" in which students are guided to learn information from various sites on the Web. The "flipped" version would have students authoring quests on some topic in lieu of writing a traditional essay.
Wikibooks (http://en.wikibooks.org)
More than 2,500 open textbooks, wiki-style, across an extremely broad range of subjects. Available in dozens of languages. Typical wiki caveats apply due to open authoring.
Wikispaces (http://www.wikispaces.com)
A freemium hosted wiki authoring and hosting platform geared to supporting education. (You're on it.) Relatively powerful, fairly easy to use, and a useful tool. I would put it in the "quick and dirty" category with LiveBinders and QuizStar; although you can invest more effort to polish your space.
Open Course Providers / Repositories:
CMU Open Learning Initiative (http://oli.cmu.edu)
Carnegie Mellon University's free and open education offering. Offers a variety of self-paced courses across a broad range of topics, as well as educator resources for use of OLI materials.
Connexions (http://www.cnx.org)
A collection of open materials for custom courses, organized as "modules." Also facilitates creation of new modules and courses. Provides "lenses" for curating collections.
MERLOT (http://www.merlot.org)
Officially Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching, MERLOT is the California State University's leading online education initiative. Offers searchable courses, rich support materials from animations to quizzes, and a community for educators. Also supports user-curated collections of materials. Although it is a key resource within the OER community, MERLOT does include resources that are not free or open source. These may still serve as inspiration or "Google fodder" for enterprising educators.
MIT Open Courseware (http://ocw.mit.edu)
Course materials from actual MIT courses. An early and ambitious leader in the open education community.
OER Commons (http://www.oercommons.org)
A network operated by ISKME, offering more than 40,000 open learning materials for K-12 and college. Materials are standards-aligned but also include current topics such as the "maker" movement in education and game-based-learning. Submissions are curated but navigation can be challenging—search may prove the better option but you'll miss out on interesting discovery. (Note that linked materials are wrapped in an OER header that offers OER community features but obscures the true URL.)
Open Learn (http://www.open.edu/openlearn)
The Open University's (UK) free and open online courses and other open learning materials.
Open Educational Resources
Web Resource List
Key Terms:
Articles of Interest:
Concepts:
Copyright
Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org)
The leading authority on and provider of copyright alternatives. Provides free, legally vetted licenses for authors of open/shared materials; including attribution, "copyleft"-style, and CC0 public domain licenses. Also provides a directory of open, CC-licensed works for use.
The Original TEACH Act Toolkit (http://copyright.uncc.edu/copyright/TEACH)
The Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act extends U.S. copyright law's academic fair use exceptions to "transmitted" uses (e.g., online, including Web) by non-profit educational institutions, under specific conditions. This toolkit from UNC Charlotte includes an overview, checklists, FAQs, and other resources for implementation in higher education.
Ten Big Myths about copyright explained (http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html)
While not the most scholarly source, Brad Templeton's very accessible discussion of common copyright misconceptions provides a good starting point for discussion (e.g., a "True or False?" class exercise). Be advised, the list has not been updated since 2008—an eternity in IP law—yet still relevant.
Universal Design & Access
Universal Design.com (http://www.universaldesign.com/about-universal-design.html)
Comprehensive definitions for Universal Design and additional resources for the broad field of UD (not just learning). Includes product reviews, publications, and training. Resources for Software/Web Designers may be most relevant to online education; however the interdisciplinary focus is good for broadening perspective.
CAST: Universal Design for Learning (http://www.cast.org)
The Center for Applied Special Technology, preferably known as CAST, conducts educational R&D to expand learning for all through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The CAST site offers excellent background information on UDL, practical applications, free learning tools (most for teachers, some also for students and parents), and professional development and learning resources.
National Center on Universal Design for Learning (http://www.udlcenter.org)
Supported by CAST, the UDL Center is a clearinghouse for guidelines, implementation, research, community, and resources on UDL. The main focus here are the UDL Guidelines, now in Version 2.0. The guidelines are also translated into multiple languages and supporting resources are provided.
Universal Design for Learning (http://www.foothill.edu/drc/documents/Universal-Design.pdf)
A "fact sheet" provided by the Foothill - De Anza Community College, conveys the core message that "...Universal Design is just good teaching." Although, since not all good teaching is Universal Design, the sheet goes through various instructional models and highlights strengths and weaknesses, elements of Universal Design, and offers additional resources. An excellent "quick start" document for all instructors.
Reference & Training:
Access E-learning (http://www.accesselearning.net)
A 10-module online course out of Georgia Tech that addresses accessibility in online learning. Starts with general concepts then focuses on specific technology challenges, including video, Flash, and interactivity. A helpful reminder that making materials accessible to students with disabilities makes them more usable by all students.
Authentic Assessment Toolbox (http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/index.htm)
A highly-rated online course introducing authentic assessment, its background and implementation. The focus on real-world application of material ("competencies") is considered by many to enhance student learning. Includes topics such as tasks, rubrics, and portfolios.
Interactive Multimedia Development (http://www.edb.utexas.edu/minliu/multimedia/index.html)
Although last updated in 2000, this training module from the University of Texas (Austin) addresses learning theories, as well as practical aspects of incorporating multimedia into learning. The technical information is a dead link (probably just as well, given the age of the site) but the resources are surprisingly relevant. If you pardon the Flash front-end, the underlying information is a good foundation for those wanting to go beyond text in a meaningful way.
Best Practices in Online Teaching (http://cnx.org/content/col10453/latest)
Online course collection for instructors new to online instruction, including blended courses. Authored by Larry Ragan and based on a training session offered for the well-regarded Penn State World Campus.
P2PU School of Open (http://p2pu.org/en/schools/school-of-open)
A joint venture between Peer2Peer University (P2PU) and Creative Commons, provides a range of self-paced and cohort ("facilitated") courses on Open Source, OER, and Open Access. Topics include copyright, Creative Commons, contributing to wikimedia, and using Open Data.
Tools & Materials:
20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have (Turner, Digital Learning Environments)
A partial, semi-annotated bibliography of tools for educators. Ranges from Google tools to spreadsheets. Unfortunately, nearly three-fourths of the list is unaddressed, leaving educators to discover virtual worlds without guidance. Still, it provides "Google-fodder" for enterprising educators.
Calibrated Peer Review (http://cpr.molsci.ucla.edu/Home.aspx)
CPR software was developed at UCLA to handle grading essays for large classes. Students write essays on networked (e.g., Web) systems, then, after being trained in reviewing (i.e., calibrated), they grade the essays of three other students, then their own essay. This model is used in Coursera's MOOCs but criticism is rampant on that platform despite the lack of "real" grades. It is unclear whether the language proficiency of the MOOC audience is a factor; although this could be an in-classroom issue, as well. Note: The current CPR software is not free ($500 - $8,000+, depending on institution type and size) nor open.
Edmodo (http://www.edmodo.com)
Edmodo is a popular free, hosted social platform designed for learners. While it does bill itself as a learning management system (LMS) and allow hosted content, apps, badges, and performance tracking; its interactivity and social engagement capabilities that connect the educational community Facebook-style tend to overwhelm the traditional LMS functions. It could still be a useful tool for student engagement (moreso K-12, although the design is becoming quite dated as students themselves are becoming more sophisticated) to complement a curriculum; but its effectiveness will depend entirely on how it is presented and managed. Teachers will need to adapt classroom management to online community management skills.
Free Resources from the Net for Every Learner (http://paulhami.edublogs.org)
Author Paul Hamilton's blog "supporting universal access and universal design for learning." Blog entries highlight various online, computer software, and smartphone/tablet tools that can be applied to universal learning. Although Hamilton has been focusing increasingly on Google's Chrome Browser (a challenge for those not comfortable Google's data/privacy practices), he still posts gems for other platforms.
Great Web 2.0 Resources for Students (http://www.techlearning.com/default.aspx?tabid=67&entryid=241)
Archived from October 2010, this list has some gems. In addition to Evernote and Dropbox, it includes Scribblar, an online meeting room / white board (free for 2 users, costs rise quickly). If nothing else, it sparks ideas for solutions to discover.
iOS Apps that Support Reading and Writing (http://www.udlresource.com/ios-apps-to-support-reading-and-writing.html)
A couple dozen iOS apps that provide text-to-speech, re-rendering, text conversion, alternate input (e.g., dictation), voice recording, note taking, mind mapping, and even math support. Unfortunately, most apps are not free, ranging from $1 - $2 to approximately $20.
iPads in Education (http://www.scoop.it/t/ipads-in-education)
Curated by John Evans, this blog compiles information related to the use of Apple's popular tablet in educational settings. It includes news, examples, resources, and reviews. While content quality varies, there are some good ideas, even if you do not adopt a solution wholesale.
Leading Innovation 2012: Summer Boot Camp ... Digital Tools (http://leadinginnovation2012.wikispaces.com/Digital+Tools)
The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation's Leading Innovation 2012 Summer Boot Camp for Technology Enabled Initiatives provides an annotated bibliography of online (including some downloadable) tools for educators. The list includes the tools used during their Boot Camp, as well as a broad range of other resources, along with how to apply them in education.
LiveBinders (http://www.livebinders.com)
Envisioned as an online three-ring binder, LiveBinders provides authoring and hosting for collaborative, shared information. A freemium offering, it offers suggestions for uses and tons of sample binders for inspiration. Authoring is relatively straight-forward and the results are "polished-enough" and would be suitable for any internal use or basic e-Portfolios. A useful option outside of the Google-verse.
Moodle (http://www.moodle.org)
Possibly the most popular free and open source learning management system (LMS), Moodle is truly an open source project that enjoys a broad community of developers. This openness allows great customization, it also requires some technical savvy for advanced administration--especially since it is downloaded and run on your own server. For this reason, it is typically adopted at the school or district level; although it could be used in a single classroom by a relatively savvy instructor with networking (firewall) authorization. General content creation and use is relatively easy as LMSs go and the broad feature set makes it applicable to any learning environment. Integration partners are available (http://www.moodle.com) for commercial support.
OpenStax College (http://openstaxcollege.org)
Free, peer reviewed college-level texts. Open licensing allows customization, includes support materials for instructors. Digital versions free, printed versions available at-cost. Limited subjects to start.
QuizStar (http://quizstar.4teachers.org)
A dead-simple web-based quiz authoring and administration tool. It supports true/false, multiple choice (single or multiple correct answers), and short answer formats. It is surprisingly robust, including multimedia abilities, student log-ins across multiple classes/instructors, and gradebooks. I would want to know more about the security associated with the service to ensure it meets the criteria of your institution's policies and regulatory requirements.
Sakai Project (http://www.sakaiproject.org)
A robust, free and open source, online education platform and development community spanning learning management, e-portfolios, and research collaboration. Sakai's Collaborative and Learning Environment (CLE) counts numerous reputable, accredited universities among it 350+ institutional users. (It is unclear whether the 350 figure includes "forked" solutions.) It is Currently developing a completely next generation product, the "widget-based" Open Academic Environment (OAE) that "reimagines the approach to scholarly collaboration." At this time, the OAE appears to be filled with more buzzwords than concrete functionality. As of 2013, the Sakai Foundation and Jasig Foundation merged to form the Apereo Foundation, so look for that name on activities surrounding the Sakai Project.
Schoology (http://www.schoology.com)
A free, full-featured, hosted LMS with social and collaboration features and iOS (iPhone/iPad) support that currently is a few steps ahead of rival Edmodo. Offers clear content presentation (including multimedia integration), submission, assessment creation, discussion, moderation, and even attendance in addition to the traditional Facebook-style social engagement. A cleaner design also makes this more attractive to older and/or savvier audiences. An "enterprise" version is available that adds school/district-wide integration to the basic free teacher version.
WebQuest.org (http://webquest.org)
Born out of Bernie Dodge's work at SDSU, the .org site includes links to free/open counterparts to Dodge's commercialized QuestGarden ($20 for 2 years) WebQuest authoring tool. WebQuests are a "inquiry-orieneted lesson format" in which students are guided to learn information from various sites on the Web. The "flipped" version would have students authoring quests on some topic in lieu of writing a traditional essay.
Wikibooks (http://en.wikibooks.org)
More than 2,500 open textbooks, wiki-style, across an extremely broad range of subjects. Available in dozens of languages. Typical wiki caveats apply due to open authoring.
Wikispaces (http://www.wikispaces.com)
A freemium hosted wiki authoring and hosting platform geared to supporting education. (You're on it.) Relatively powerful, fairly easy to use, and a useful tool. I would put it in the "quick and dirty" category with LiveBinders and QuizStar; although you can invest more effort to polish your space.
Open Course Providers / Repositories:
CMU Open Learning Initiative (http://oli.cmu.edu)
Carnegie Mellon University's free and open education offering. Offers a variety of self-paced courses across a broad range of topics, as well as educator resources for use of OLI materials.
Connexions (http://www.cnx.org)
A collection of open materials for custom courses, organized as "modules." Also facilitates creation of new modules and courses. Provides "lenses" for curating collections.
MERLOT (http://www.merlot.org)
Officially Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching, MERLOT is the California State University's leading online education initiative. Offers searchable courses, rich support materials from animations to quizzes, and a community for educators. Also supports user-curated collections of materials. Although it is a key resource within the OER community, MERLOT does include resources that are not free or open source. These may still serve as inspiration or "Google fodder" for enterprising educators.
MIT Open Courseware (http://ocw.mit.edu)
Course materials from actual MIT courses. An early and ambitious leader in the open education community.
OER Commons (http://www.oercommons.org)
A network operated by ISKME, offering more than 40,000 open learning materials for K-12 and college. Materials are standards-aligned but also include current topics such as the "maker" movement in education and game-based-learning. Submissions are curated but navigation can be challenging—search may prove the better option but you'll miss out on interesting discovery. (Note that linked materials are wrapped in an OER header that offers OER community features but obscures the true URL.)
Open Learn (http://www.open.edu/openlearn)
The Open University's (UK) free and open online courses and other open learning materials.